Finding a silver lining among the COVID-19 pandemic is a tall order to fill but thanks to the millions of dollars the federal government injected into the economy in an attempt to stave off financial ruin, some wish list items for the Mount Airy Rescue Squad have finally been purchased.
With new defibrillators the squad was able to pass down older equipment to local community groups who may not have been able to afford one. Also, adding radios with the latest tech means it will be another 15 years or so until they need to be replaced again, meaning funding can now go to other areas or perhaps to personnel.
Mount Airy Rescue Squad Chief Nathan Webb said that the radios they bought are new KenWood multi-band radios. These radios will be an improvement over the ones in use as they will allow the squad to communicate across analog and digital frequencies.
There is no universal technology in use between local, county, state, and federal resources so having a radio that can get the transmissions from every source means the squad will be better informed in the field.
Webb explained, “These radios have been on our needs list since I took over as chief in 2015. Analog frequencies are increasingly unreliable for dispatch and communicating in our area. Expanding to digital technology allows us to reliably communicate with each other, sister public safety departments, and Surry Communications over long distances despite topography and weather conditions.”
The new portable radios that squad members carry have a price tag of $2,385 each and Webb bought 25 of those totaling $59,625. Radios installed in the mobile units ran $2,865 for a total of $20,650 and a base station radio for the rescue squad was $2,950.
The City of Mount Airy stepped up in a big way with $50,000 of ARPA Grant funding. Webb said he used funds the city provided to buy 30 new pagers, extra portable radios, lapel microphones, and Bluetooth microphones.
The total cost for all of these was “roughly 80% of our annual budget. Without the federal and local grants we received this project would not have been possible,” Webb said.
Chief Webb said the four other squads in the county have also been working to upgrade their communications equipment as well. Getting these radios replaced was a race against the clock for in 2025 all radios operating on the NC State VIPER (digital) network must be Phase II compliant. He said, “This means older generation 800 MHz radios will cease to work on the state network past this date.”
The new equipment he said he hopes to have in service for upwards of 15 years and the old radios will be of no use to his squad. Some other states have not made the transition so there is a chance these radios have not reached the end of duty yet.
Now that the radios have been secured Webb said his next big project is to secure funding for a part-time paid position.
“During and after COVID departments nationwide have seen a sharp decrease in volunteerism. Currently our roster stands at 25 but we are chartered through the state to have up to 40 members,” he said.
“Those that do volunteer often work a 9-5 job, so it sometimes becomes difficult to respond to all our calls during the day. Adding 1 paid part-time rescuer during peak hours would drastically improve our ability to respond rapidly.”
The squad also recently donated five automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to Mount Airy High School athletics, North Surry High School athletics, Mount Airy Disabled American Veterans, Surry County Children’s Home, and Seeds of Hope: Heroes Helping Heroes.
Webb said, “An AED is an automated external defibrillator. It works by delivering electricity to someone’s heart who has experienced cardiac arrest. The goal is to reset the electrical function in the heart and return the patient to a heart rhythm.”
When the squad bought seven new LifePak 1000’s to replace their existing LifePak 500’s they donated the old ones which had been in the field and in service with the rescue squad until recently. “They are in good working condition and will serve as a bridge until these agencies are able to purchase their own,” Webb explained.
Friday evening the squad led a class for employees and volunteers of those agencies to learn about AEDs and also CPR training. It is more common than ever to find AEDs placed in building lobbies or public spaces and Webb said the combination of CPR and AED are lifesavers.
“Without a doubt bystander CPR and early defibrillation saves lives. Personally, I believe any business, church, civic organization, or place large groups of people gather should have one. We all hope it’s a purchase that is never used, but the one time it’s needed, it is priceless,” he said.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com